Four medical colleges among Rs 7,876 crore projects approved by Assam cabinet

GUWAHATI: Four new medical colleges were among projects worth Rs 7,876.45 crore approved by the Assam government on Tuesday. The cabinet of chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, during a meeting, also sanctioned Rs 3,107 crore for the construction of a four-lane bridge connecting Palasbari near Guwahati airport with Sualkuchi, known for its textile industry centred around Assam silk.

The proposed bridge will shorten the distance between Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati and Lower Assam districts by 25 km, as per a cabinet communique shared by Sarma on Twitter. The 4.08-km-long structure will also provide seamless connectivity from the airport to Amingaon in the northern bank of the river, where the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati is located.

The second Saraighat Bridge connecting Guwahati city with Amingaon was inaugurated in 2017. Sarma's cabinet also decided to upgrade 34 polytechnic institutes and 43 government ITIs to 'centres of excellence' in association with Tata Technologies Ltd (TTL). Under the same project worth Rs 2,390 crore, skilled workers working in tea and food processing, and handicrafts and textiles industries in Assam will be upskilled, it said.

Administrative approval of Rs 2,000 crore was accorded to construct four new medical colleges and hospitals in Bongaigaon, Dhemaji, Golaghat and Morigaon. Besides, the contract to build the terminal and riverine infrastructure at Guwahati Gateway Ghat for Rs 289.45 crore was also approved by the cabinet.

Also read | NEET PG 2022 exam date not to be postponed; exam on May 21, says health ministry sources

A state PSU 'Assam Inland Waterways Company Ltd (AIWCL)' will be formed to establish, maintain and operate cost-effective water transportation services, including river cruises, within Assam. AIWCL will also develop and maintain all-weather ports, jetties and passenger terminals. The state government also approved the recruitment of 4,868 graduate and post-graduate teachers in schools. The cabinet also enhanced the state subsidy for houses being constructed under PMAY-HFA (urban) to Rs 60,000 from Rs 50,000. It also approved the release of Rs 30,000 under Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) component of the scheme as third instalment to those who have reached roof level for completion of thousands of incomplete houses. A total of 1,16,380 beneficiaries can avail the facility, and Assam will be the first state to undertake such an innovative step, it said.

Also read | MHT CET 2022 revised exam dates announced; engineering exam from August 5 to 11

The cabinet allowed the release of Rs 308.75 crore as part of the Rs 700 crore relief package to the employees of the defunct HPC paper mills at Nagaon and Cachar. Also, a committee was formed to negotiate the price of land and submit a report within 20 days with regard to establishing an Assam complex at Tiware village in Raigad district of Maharashtra for promoting the state's rich cultural heritage.